Night Fighters examines the historical, technological, tactical, and strategic evolution of limited visibility aerial combat as the air forces of Great Britain and Germany dueled in the night skies during WWII. The book is based on extensive research and interviews with the key planners responsible for their respective national strategies governing the conduct of the nighttime air war as well as the airmen who fought the war. This arena of WWII combat produced a plethora of technological innovations, the results of which are seen today in everyday military and civilian life. This book provides a detailed historical analysis of the men, methods, machines, and devices that forever altered the course of aviation, military, and scientific history during the air war in the night skies of WWII.

Colin D. Heaton is a professor of history, military history, and sociology at the American Military University and the author of three books and numerous articles on World War II. He lives in Southport, NC.

Anne-Marie Lewis is a photographer, researcher, and digital image specialist.

Praise for Night Fighters

“Night Fighters gives serious attention to the worthy and underrepresented field of study involving how this arms race was fought and won in the night skies of World War II Europe. Airmen today would do well to heed the lessons of their predecessors—how they adapted and where they came up short.” — Air & Space Power Journal, Fall 2011

"Night Fighters is the vivid and fascinating story of the deadly aerial duel between Britain's Bomber Command and Germany's night fighters during World War Two. Colin Heaton's and Anne-Marie Lewis's expert account will be indispensible reading for any student of military history."—Conan Fischer, Professor, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland

"Night Fighters reminds me of my own night combat experience over Vietnam. Any pilot who has ever seen a bright pink tracer aimed at him will duck as he reads these thrilling words and comprehends the historical significance of these pages. The World War II night war written about in Night Fighters laid the foundation for all future conflicts, from the Gulf War of 1991 to the present battles being fought. This book is a great addition to the history of aerial warfare."—George J. Marrett, Contrails over the Mojave: The Golden Age of Jet Flight Testing at Edwards Air Force Base[5]

"Colin Heaton has studied the Luftwaffe and RAF for almost three decades now. He is an incredible researcher and obtained thousands of pages of documents never before used by historians. He also developed unique relationships with some of the key players during World War II like the father of German Night Fighters Falck and Fighter Ace and famous General Adolf Galland and brings many of their insights and stories to light in Night Fighters. Heaton is one of the foremost experts in this field and anyone serious about studying about the air campaigns during World War II must include this book in his or her library."—Bryan Mark Rigg, author of Hitler's Jewish Soldiers and Rescued from the Reich

"Night Fighters" is a detailed look at the men, strategy, and technology that influenced the aerial combat between the British nighttime bombers and the Luftwaffe's night fighters. Heaton offers a fantastic look at the innovative genius of Major Wolfgang Falck, who is credited as being the Father of the Nachtjadgfliegers {The Night Fighters}. In addition to looking at the tactical innovations, the book also features an outstanding discussion of the Wizard's War -- the battle between German and British scientists to build the next generations of detection systems and countermeasures. This book is the perfect addition for the World War II history enthusiast looking to explore the next niche.